So Am I a Poet

Looking at the caller ID, Lin Mo pressed the answer button.

“Hello, Uncle Three.”

There was a brief pause on the other end before a voice came through, polite and neither warm nor distant.

“Lin Mo, how have you been lately?”

Lin Mo’s divine sense spread out instantly.

In the break room of a factory, his Uncle Three, Lin Yuhua, was leaning against the water dispenser. He held a thermos in one hand and his phone in the other.

The sleeves of his work uniform were rolled halfway up, and his employee badge hung loosely from his chest. He looked as though he had made the call during a break.

There was no one nearby whom Lin Mo didn’t want to see.

His tone relaxed as well.

“I’m doing pretty well. How about you, Uncle Three?”

“Same as always—busy.”

Lin Yuhua took a sip of water and casually brought up the subject. “By the way, the New Year is almost here. Come over to Uncle Three’s place for dinner on New Year’s Eve. Your aunt said we should invite you this year.”

Lin Mo slowed his steps, falling two paces behind the people walking ahead of him.

The street was filled with noise. Vendors shouted about clearance sales, while children fussed over snacks. Standing quietly at the edge of all that bustle, he thought for a few seconds.

Although his Uncle Three had never helped him with anything, he had at least never taken advantage of him or kicked him while he was down. Lin Mo didn’t actually harbor any ill will toward him.

Still, he asked, “Uncle Three, is anyone else going to be there?”

“No. Just family.”

Family... That was a questionable choice of words.

But Lin Mo didn’t care.

“Alright, Uncle Three. I’ll come over for dinner, then.”

“Good, good.” Lin Yuhua sounded noticeably more cheerful. Then he asked, “Why is it so noisy over there? Are you out shopping?”

“I’m at Shangxiajiu, buying a couple of new outfits for the New Year.”

“Oh, to be young. You should go out and enjoy yourself. I’ll let you get back to it. I need to return to my workstation anyway. See you later.”

“Alright. Goodbye, Uncle Three.”

The two of them didn’t exchange many pleasantries before hanging up.

Lin Mo slipped his phone back into his pocket but didn’t leave immediately. He simply stood there and watched.

Within his divine sense, his Uncle Three set down the thermos and swiped across his phone screen a few times before opening WeChat and tapping on a chat.

The contact was saved under the name Lin Yucheng.

Lin Mo’s elder uncle.

Lin Yuhua held down the voice-message button and leaned toward the phone.

“I’ve already invited Lin Mo over for dinner. We’re family—there’s no grudge that can’t be put aside.”

After sending the voice message, Lin Yuhua added, “If you really want to repair your relationship with him, then say less when the time comes. And stop acting like some grand elder.”

There was no immediate reply from Lin Yucheng.

Lin Mo withdrew his divine sense and raised an eyebrow.

Who knew what his elder uncle was planning? But it didn’t matter. Whether this was a trap or a genuine attempt at reconciliation, Lin Mo didn’t care.

After all, he could cut ties with this family. With nothing more than a crook of his finger, he could even make them die without a burial place.

But that would go against his true nature.

They were clearly relatives, yet they wore two entirely different faces.

His maternal uncle, on the other hand, had not seen him much in the past, but had treated him very well afterward.

Come to think of it, his maternal uncle was also due to be released from prison soon. Liu Zheng had told him long ago that his uncle had behaved well in prison. With the reduction in his sentence—and perhaps a little influence working behind the scenes—he would probably be released even earlier than in his previous life.

As for his uncle’s affairs, Lin Mo had no intention of interfering too much.

His uncle would continue doing business in the future and eventually become wealthy anyway.

That was why Lin Mo didn’t plan on revealing too much about himself.

He had his own reasons for keeping things that way.

He understood the principle that when one person attained the Dao, even his chickens and dogs would ascend to Heaven.

But not everyone could rise with him. Those who rose might not necessarily be grateful, while those left behind would certainly grow resentful.

Putting his phone away, Lin Mo looked up. Several girls were already holding piles of clothes and browsing through them. Most of the shops along this street bought their stock wholesale and sold it at retail, so the prices were far cheaper than those in shopping malls, while the styles were still up to date.

The boys, meanwhile, continued serving as human coat racks and bag carriers.

Lin Mo walked over as well.

Xie Yuling glanced at him. Her eyes were clear, and it was obvious that her divine sense had noticed him making the call.

“What happened?” Xie Yuling’s voice appeared directly in Lin Mo’s mind.

“Nothing much. My Uncle Three invited me over for dinner on New Year’s Eve, but it was actually my elder uncle’s idea. It’s probably some kind of trap.”

“A trap?”

“Most likely. But even if it is, it depends on who’s sitting in the host’s seat.”

Xie Yuling didn’t ask any more questions. She pulled a gray-blue coat from the rack, held it up against herself, then put it back.

“Be careful, then.”

“Don’t worry. Could they really be more troublesome than those ability users?”

Lin Mo responded indifferently as he casually flipped through the clothes hanging on the rack.

“I have to go and see what it’s about anyway. I used to spend New Year’s Eve at my grandmother’s place every year. Even if I can’t get a meal at my Uncle Three’s house, I’ll still have time to make it back to my grandmother’s.”

After all, Yangcheng and Hecheng were not that far apart.

With Lin Mo’s strength, he could cross the distance in the blink of an eye.

“Old Mo, why are you standing around over here? Go pick something from that rack. Everything there is forty percent off!”

Yangcheng was home to the largest concentration of clothing wholesale markets in the country, which was why clothes here were so cheap while still maintaining decent quality.

Of course, if they went to places like Baima or the cloth market, they could find even cheaper clothes.

Lin Mo naturally began picking through the racks as well.

Since none of their elders were present, they chose styles they personally liked, including jackets and other outerwear.

Nearby, Luo Ruiyu held up a wine-red, fitted short cotton jacket and called out to Fang Jun.

“How does this one look?”

Fang Jun tilted his head and studied it for two seconds before shaking his head.

“The color’s too old-fashioned. How old are you? Wearing that would make you look like my mom going out to play mahjong during the New Year.”

“You’re the one who looks like your mom!” Luo Ruiyu smacked the jacket back onto the rack. “Then tell me what I should wear.”

“I obviously look like my mom,” Fang Jun muttered. He then glanced around and pulled a cream-colored hooded down jacket from a corner, draping it over Luo Ruiyu’s shoulders.

“This one. It’s clean and sharp. Your skin is on the darker side, so white will reflect light onto your face. Light colors will look better on you.”

Luo Ruiyu looked down at the jacket, then tugged it around herself and spun toward the mirror, checking herself from side to side.

“Alright, I’ll take your advice. I’ll go try it on.”

She took the jacket toward the fitting room and casually tossed her bag to him as she passed. Fang Jun caught it on reflex, his face full of helplessness.

After Luo Ruiyu entered the fitting room, An Yuexin moved next to Fang Jun and nudged him with his elbow, lowering his voice.

“Hey, look at Big Yu. She’s so natural around you, and she listens to everything you say. I think the two of you are much better suited than you and Cai Junhuang. How about you—”

Fang Jun didn’t even look at him. He continued rummaging through the sweatshirts on the rack.

“Drop it, drop it. I’m not thinking about that kind of thing right now. We’ll talk about everything after the final exams. Besides, Big Yu obviously sees me as a brother. If I tried to make a move on her, wouldn’t that make me a scumbag?”

“So stop stirring things up. You’ll just make everyone uncomfortable.”

Fang Jun was actually afraid of relationships at the moment, so he instinctively rejected An Yuexin’s suggestion.

“Alright, then.”

An Yuexin didn’t press the matter. After all, Fang Jun hadn’t been evasive or coy in the slightest, which meant his resolve was firm.