Chapter 4

Lu Jing knew the old man's habits well. If he was drinking tea, it meant his mood wasn't too bad, and he might even be a bit happier than usual. Otherwise, he wouldn't be willing to savor his precious tea leaves.

If the old man was writing calligraphy, that would be a disaster. Writing calligraphy was a way to teach a lesson. During the process, you had to watch him with utmost respect and endure his imposing presence. In the end, he would naturally scold you in classical Chinese.

But the worst wasn't that; it was when he stood there with his hands behind his back, expressionless. Don't think he was standing there to give you face; it meant he had already made up his mind about something. His next order might very well be to have you dragged away and shot.

"Dad—!" Lu Jing called out, his heart filled with emotion. His father had always been his idol.

The old man glanced at him indifferently and said, "Sit!" His tone was steady, neither warm nor cold, but without the usual intimidating aura.

"Dad, you've lost weight. You should take better care of yourself." Looking at his father's white temples and increasingly gaunt face, Lu Jing felt a bit melancholic. In his memory, the old man would pass away from illness four years later. At that time, his elder brother was in a political low, his sister-in-law had only given birth to a daughter, and he, the youngest son whom the old man doted on, was studying out of town, known as a playboy with no hope. These events must have hit him hard.

"Hmm—, talk about your issue. Your homeroom teacher called home," the old man said, putting down his teacup.

Hearing the old man's words, the tension in Lu Jing's heart, which had been tight since the afternoon, eased. In his heart, his father was an unshakable tree, sheltering him from the wind and rain, capable of anything.

Lu Jing walked forward to refill the old man's teacup, casually picked up a blue-and-white porcelain cup for himself, and said with a smile, "Dad, your methods are outdated. Haven't you heard, 'Confess and be lenient, sit in jail; resist and be strict, go home for the New Year'!"

The old man smiled disdainfully, picked up his teacup, and drank, as if to say, "What do you know?" He had a dismissive attitude.

Lu Jing poured himself a cup of Da Hong Pao, leaned against the table, took a whiff, sipped it lightly, and said, "Good tea!"

"Showing off what you don't understand!" the old man commented. He had this youngest son at the age of 48 and was mostly a kind father to him, not willing to scold him too harshly.

Lu Jing didn't speak, slowly sipping his tea.

The old man said, "Let me see the love letter. I want to see how well it's written and if it makes me lose face."

Lu Jing laughed, "How can I do that? It's for a girl to read, not for you."

The old man nodded, put down his teacup, and gestured for Lu Jing to refill it. Lu Jing was a bit surprised; how could a cup of tea be finished so quickly? Drinking tea was supposed to be a slow and refined process. It seemed the old man was also just pretending to understand.

As if reading his mind, the old man said slowly, "What, do you think I don't know the subtleties of tea?"

"No," Lu Jing said with a smile, refilling the old man's teacup.

The old man pointed at him, "Your mother said you have something to talk to your brother about. What is it? Do you need my help? Your brother went to Shiqiao Town this afternoon; something happened there."

Indeed, the other side had started their move.

Lu Jing's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Dad, someone is trying to take down my brother. A subordinate of my brother is corrupt, and the evidence is in others' hands. They plan to let the Shiqiao Town incident escalate and then, at a critical moment, use the 'double regulation' to implicate my brother. By then, my brother won't have the energy to deal with the Shiqiao Town issue. Once the situation in Shiqiao Town gets out of hand, his low-income policy will be deemed a failure by some in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. At that point, my brother's political future will be over."

At his brother's level, a failed policy reform meant his political career would not improve.

"How do you know this?" the old man said indifferently.

Lu Jing was speechless, scratching his head hard. This was the one thing he couldn't explain. If the old man asked about the details of the conspiracy, Lu Jing could answer, as he had thought about every detail for seventeen years. But how could a high school student know these things?

He couldn't explain.

After a while, Lu Jing said, "I guessed."

The old man's face showed a hint of a smile, "Nonsense!" He tapped the table with his hand. Lu Jing, seeing the old man's calm demeanor, helplessly picked up the blue-and-white porcelain teapot to refill his teacup.

Seeing his youngest son's worried face, the old man picked up his teacup and said slowly, "You need to talk to your brother about this."

Lu Jing put the teapot on the table, sat in the chair, slumped over, and said nothing. The old man clearly thought he was a child and didn't want to discuss serious matters with him.

After a while, Lu Jing sat up straight, looking at the calm old man. He didn't know if the old man believed him, but he emphasized, "Dad, anything related to my brother's political future is a big deal, not a small one."

The old man looked at Lu Jing in surprise. He hadn't expected his usually lackadaisical youngest son to say something like that.

He stared at Lu Jing for a while, put down his teacup, slowly stood up, and said with a smile, "Hmm, you've grown."

Lu Jing was puzzled by the old man's gaze, his hair standing on end. But then the old man laughed, and Lu Jing didn't know what he was thinking.

"Let's eat, Lao Lu, Xiao Jing," Mrs. Luo called from the living room. Both in the study heard her.

"Let's eat first!" the old man gestured and walked toward the study door.

Watching the old man's slow gait, Lu Jing felt a lump in his throat. According to his past life's memory, the old man would pass away in four years.

The old man was 66 this year. His body had been injured during the war and never fully recovered. Among officials of his rank, his health was the worst.

"Dad, let me help you!" Lu Jing stepped forward to support the old man.

The old man, who was outwardly gentle but inwardly strong, didn't like showing affection, but he nodded at his youngest son's closeness.

"Join me for a drink later. I haven't had the old rice wine from Longyou in a long time; I miss the taste," the old man said to Lu Jing.

Lu Jing's eyes were a bit red. Just by showing a bit of maturity, the old man was so happy. In his past life, he was such a playboy, and he didn't know how much his father must have been hurt.

"Dad, you don't have to drink to be happy," Lu Jing advised. He knew the old man's habit; drinking was a sign of extreme joy. The refined term was "to drink a large cup of wine," and in essence, the old man was still a scholar. He wanted to read Lu Jing's love letter to see how well he could write.

Love letters, to some extent, best reflect a person's literary level. After all, which poet in the May Fourth era didn't write love poems?

Special nurse Xiao Tan supported the old man as he walked down the stairs. Lu Jing pulled out a chair. The dining table in the living room was already set with four home-cooked dishes, the aroma making Lu Jing's mouth water. He hadn't eaten his mother's cooking for many years.

"Let's eat!" Mrs. Luo came out of the kitchen with a large bowl of soup, followed by his sister-in-law Hu Ying, "Mom, be careful! Don't get burned."

Lu Jing pulled out a rosewood chair, and the old man sat down, patting his hand in satisfaction. Mrs. Luo sat down and said with a smile, "Xiao Jing, did you pass? You've never been this attentive before."

Lu Jing scratched his head, not knowing how to respond. He looked at his sister-in-law and nodded with a smile, "Sister-in-law!"

He wasn't sure what he felt about this beautiful sister-in-law. Greedy, attention-seeking, and mean—these were almost all Lu Jing's impressions of her.

Moreover, under her indulgence, his niece Lu Qi's behavior was outrageous. If the old man knew, he would probably be so angry that he would climb out of his grave in Babaoshan.

The sister-in-law pulled out a chair and sat down, nodding with a smile, "Your brother had to go to Shiqiao Town on short notice. He's probably still on the road."

"Hmm." Lu Jing pondered how to contact his brother, thinking it would have to wait until tomorrow. The distance from Jingcheng to Shiqiao Town was not short; it took nine hours by car.

Seeing everyone seated, the old man instructed, "Xiao Tan, go get that bottle of 20-year-old rice wine. I'm happy today, let's have a drink."

"Wait!" Mrs. Luo stopped Xiao Tan, "Is it okay, Xiao Tan?" Xiao Tan replied, "Two ounces is fine."

"Then let's have a small cup," Mrs. Luo compromised. She could see that Lao Lu was happy to see his youngest son home, and not letting him drink would dampen his spirits. But she added, "Lao Lu, just two ounces, no more!"

"We need to trust science!" the old man said with a smile, as if he had won a battle. He rarely had the chance to drink at home.

Mrs. Luo said, "Then why don't you go to the hospital for treatment?"

The old man raised an eyebrow, "I don't trust Western medicine. I still believe in traditional Chinese medicine! A national treasure, a national treasure! It has been around for thousands of years, it must have its merits."

Mrs. Luo put down her chopsticks, angry, "You're just making excuses!"

Seeing his wife angry, the old man immediately softened, ate a peanut, and mumbled, "I'll go for a checkup in a few days, I promise. I'll complete the task."

Mrs. Luo's face finally brightened.

The old man's marriage was typical of that era, with a much younger wife. In front of his deeply affectionate wife, he was the one being disciplined, but he was happy to be so.

Lu Jing was anxious about his brother's situation while watching his parents, who had passed away, talking and laughing in front of him. The joy of regaining what he had lost made him want to sing. Two emotions intertwined inside him, making him alternately happy and sad.

The meal was warm and cozy. The old man broke his usual rule and had a bit of wine, then went to bed early. Mrs. Luo and Xiao Tan were busy taking care of him.

The sister-in-law's home was in Zhangsan Alley in Xiyue District. Lu Jing saw her out and returned to Villa No. 5. After a shower, he lay in bed, covered with a white towel blanket, looking at the bright moonlight through the window, pondering how to make his brother believe him tomorrow, rather than treating him like a child like the old man did.

He still didn't know if the old man believed him, but based on his own judgment, the possibility of disbelief was greater. After all, except for his good performance in the year he joined the army at 16, his previous 18 years were like those of a naive child.

Impulsive, combative, poor academic performance, and not following school rules. His reputation as "Lu the Second" at No. 4 High School was not undeserved.

He loved playing video games, reading martial arts novels, and sleeping in, among other bad habits.

In short, he was a constant source of small troubles, causing headaches. It was no wonder the old man treated him like a child.