Chapter 1

People often say that those who survive a great calamity are sure to be blessed later on. Ye Feng used to not believe in this saying, for although he had not encountered any major disasters in his life, he had faced many minor ones, and had never experienced any subsequent blessings.

But now, Ye Feng firmly believes in this saying, for he has just survived a great calamity. Not only did he not die in this disaster, but he also gained a blessing that he could never have imagined. This blessing changed his fate and led him down a unique path of cultivation.

The story begins with a woman named Liu Meimei. She is twenty-five years old, and as her name suggests, she is very beautiful, at least in Ye Feng's eyes, she is extremely beautiful.

Ye Feng liked her very much, but he did not dare to confess his feelings. In short, Ye Feng was secretly in love with her. Not only Ye Feng, but many of his coworkers at the construction site were also secretly in love with her. Ye Feng was just one of many admirers.

Indeed, Ye Feng is a worker, commonly known as a migrant worker.

Before telling the story of Ye Feng and Liu Meimei, it is necessary to introduce Ye Feng's background.

Ye Feng was born in a poor mountain village in Hebei Province, China. His ancestors were all farmers, and for generations, they had never left their mountain village. It was not until Ye Feng's father's generation that people began to leave the village to work in big cities. Ye Feng's father was one of these workers.

Ye Feng's academic performance was good, and his college entrance exam results were sufficient for him to choose a prestigious university in the province.

However, fate always likes to play a cruel joke, turning a comedy into a tragedy. Ye Feng's father suffered a severe work injury while working outside, losing both his legs and becoming a cripple. Not only could he no longer earn money to support the family, but he also needed his wife, who had a leg disability, to take care of him. More importantly, his proud and strong-willed father could not accept this reality, leading to a mental breakdown. Although he did not go mad, he aged rapidly, became increasingly confused, and his health deteriorated, with various diseases afflicting him. The compensation money for the work injury was quickly spent.

In this difficult situation, Ye Feng had to give up his dream of attending university, despite the advice of his teachers and classmates. He resolutely followed his father's former coworkers and fellow villagers to Mingzhu City, over a thousand kilometers away from his hometown, and began his life as a migrant worker.

When he first started working, Ye Feng knew nothing except for his physical strength. He was neither a mason nor a carpenter. Ye Feng could only take on odd jobs, such as carrying bricks, lifting cement, and mixing mortar, which were purely physical labor. The work was exhausting, but the pay was meager.

At the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 21st century, the tide of migrant workers was not yet overwhelming. As long as one worked hard and diligently, there were many opportunities to earn money on construction sites. Through hard work and learning, Ye Feng mastered the mixing ratios for mortar, material selection, and construction techniques within two years. He became proficient in masonry, carpentry, rebar work, welding, plumbing, and scaffolding, and learned how to complete tasks efficiently and effectively.

Over the years, Ye Feng sent several tens of thousands of yuan back home and saved some money for himself. Although it was not enough to buy even a toilet in a commercial apartment in a big city, it was enough to support his family. Every year during the Spring Festival, as long as he had the time, Ye Feng would return home to visit his parents. Last year, he even bought his mother a domestic mobile phone, which was still rare in the countryside, to make it easier for her to stay in touch with him.

Now, in this new construction project, Ye Feng, with his skilled craftsmanship and hard work, has been highly valued by the foreman and appointed as the team leader. At twenty-five years old, he has gradually become the main support for his family. Through his hard work and efforts, Ye Feng has provided a stable and comfortable life for his family, though it is modest. The regret of not attending university has gradually been alleviated by the improving living conditions.

As life became a bit easier, his mother began to nag about his future, always urging him to find a girlfriend. She hoped he could find a city girl, but if that was not possible, there were many reliable and hardworking girls in his village and neighboring villages who would make good wives.

Ye Feng understood his mother's urgency. Seeing him get married, start a family, and have children had become her greatest wish and the most significant hope in her heart. His father's health was deteriorating, and his grandparents were growing old. His mother believed that if he delayed his marriage for too long, it might become the greatest regret of a relative's life.

However, the idea of marrying a village girl was somewhat repulsive to Ye Feng. Having lived in the city for a long time, he had become accustomed to the fast-paced urban life and had seen many beautiful young women. When he looked at the girls in the countryside, he felt that settling for any one of them would be a disservice to himself.

Although Ye Feng was not a tall, rich, and handsome man, he was not short, poor, and ugly either. He was not particularly handsome, but he was decent-looking and had a strong and tall build. In the city, he was at most considered a commoner, a small figure at the bottom of society. Despite his humble status, he still harbored the fantasy of a beautiful woman falling for him. He believed that this fantasy was not unrealistic and that with effort and opportunity, it might become a reality.

But Ye Feng was wrong. Fantasy is just fantasy, and unrealistic fantasies not only do not become reality but can also bring misfortune. Meeting Liu Meimei made Ye Feng feel as if his fantasy was about to become reality, but his subsequent secret love and deep affection for her became an inescapable misfortune.

The first time Ye Feng saw Liu Meimei, he thought she was very beautiful and had a great aura. Every glance and smile was filled with charm.

Of course, Ye Feng knew that he thought this way because he had an extremely strong liking for Liu Meimei. If described with a Chinese idiom, it would be "love at first sight."

Ye Feng fell in love with Liu Meimei at first sight, but she initially treated him as if he did not exist. Ye Feng did not blame her, for the gap between their social statuses was too great. She was a wealthy lady, and he was a lowly migrant worker. She was as beautiful as a celestial being, and he was as ordinary as grass. She lived in a luxurious villa, and he lived in a simple worker's shed.

Ye Feng got to know Liu Meimei because his construction team was contracted to do the landscaping for a luxury villa complex, and many of the villas were already occupied. Liu Meimei was the owner of one of these villas.

Ye Feng remembered that day when he had just finished building a fountain. Drenched in sweat, he was about to return to the temporary worker's shed behind the villa complex to take a cold shower when Liu Meimei walked up to him. In the hot summer, she was wearing a pink T-shirt, a pair of denim shorts, and a pair of flip-flops, with her hair tied in a ponytail. Her long, white legs shimmered in the sunlight, making Ye Feng dare not look directly at her.

Actually, it was because Ye Feng found her too beautiful. In front of such a beautiful girl, he felt somewhat inferior, which made him dare not look at her directly.

The first thing Liu Meimei said to Ye Feng was, "Hello, are you the worker who built the fountain? Could you do me a favor and unclog my toilet? I'll give you one hundred yuan. Is that okay?"

Without hesitation, Ye Feng agreed and followed Liu Meimei to her villa amidst the whistles of his coworkers.

The elegant decorations, luxurious furniture, and expensive appliances in her home made Ye Feng's eyes well up with a warm current. He knew very well where this warmth came from—it was envy. He envied her for having such good conditions and for being able to live in such a large and luxurious house.

To say that he did not envy her would be a lie. Ye Feng was not that noble. If he had the means, he would also enjoy a twenty-yuan Huanghelou cigarette and wear a hundred-yuan JNBY clothing. If he had even more means, he would also want to experience the nightlife of the city with his coworkers, such as singing karaoke, going to bars, and dancing.

Unfortunately, he did not have these means, and he probably would not have them for a long time to come.

After helping Liu Meimei unclog the toilet and the drain, she gave Ye Feng one hundred yuan, but he did not take it. He just smiled at her and turned to leave.

As Ye Feng walked from the second floor to the first floor and then to the door, Liu Meimei hurriedly ran down from upstairs and asked him with a smile, "Since you don't want the money, could you at least tell me your name? Let me introduce myself first. I'm Liu Meimei. What's your name?"

"My name is Ye Feng." After saying this, Ye Feng left. It was not that he did not want to talk to her more, but seeing her beautiful face made him feel inexplicably inferior, and his heart beat rapidly. He was afraid of making a fool of himself, so he hurriedly left.

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