San Lai circled around the car but couldn’t find Jin Chao and Jiang Mu. He had initially planned to climb up onto the concrete pillar to get a better view and spot them, but instead, he witnessed a scene that he simply couldn’t tolerate.
Boss Wan squinted at the young man dressed in a peculiar way. If it weren’t for the fact that he was standing on a bare concrete pillar, Boss Wan would have thought he was about to perform in some kind of stage play. Otherwise, why would a normal person dress like that and climb up there?
However, it didn’t take long before Boss Wan recognized the young man. He chuckled and said, “So it’s Old Lai’s son. I had a drink with your dad not long ago. Haven’t seen you around lately.”
San Lai, hearing his father’s name, immediately became angry. He flung his scarf dramatically over his shoulder and said to Boss Wan, “Next time you have a drink with my dad, make sure you tell him to pay back the money.”
“…” Everyone exchanged confused glances, unsure of what was going on.
Boss Wan, however, calmly replied, “Little Lai, you know your father and I have been friends for a long time. As for this matter with Youjiu, I suggest you stay out of it.”
San Lai lifted the cuffs of his pants to reveal his shiny new high-top leather shoes, and then declared, “As the saying goes, the waves of the Yangtze River push forward, each generation is more daring than the last. Since you and my dad have such a good relationship, I’m going to get involved whether you like it or not.”
Boss Wan frowned. The kid spoke in such a flowery manner, utterly illogical and baffling. He finally understood the frustrated expression on Old Lai’s face when he mentioned his son last time.
Boss Wan had been tilting his head back for so long that his neck was starting to ache. He waved his hand at San Lai and said, “Kid, if you have something to say, come down. Why are you standing up so high?”
San Lai replied in a very domineering manner, “I would love to come down, but it’s too high, and I’m afraid to jump.”
“…”
As Boss Wan and San Lai were arguing, a group of elderly men and women came cheerfully from the east gate of the scenic area. They walked directly toward an Iveco van, and someone pulled out a banner from the van. The group started lining up to take a photo, but due to the poor lighting in the parking lot and the bad background, they were debating whether to go back to the scenic entrance for a better shot.
Jiang Mu couldn’t see the people clearly from a distance, but she noticed the banner that read “Xiwa’ao Senior Activity Club.”
Just as Boss Wan turned his attention back to Jin Chao, Jiang Mu raised her hand and shouted, “Grandpa Tao!”
The elderly people holding the banner instantly turned their heads. Jiang Mu continued waving her hand and shouted, “It’s me, Jiang Nanshan!”
Jin Chao lifted his eyelids to look at her, not quite understanding what kind of peculiar name that was.
Though the elderly people had poor eyesight, upon hearing the name “Jiang Nanshan,” they immediately recognized Jiang Mu and rushed over, dragging the large banner with them.
Before long, the small space was filled with people. Grandpa Tao smiled and asked Jiang Mu, “Are you here to burn incense too?”
Then, looking at Boss Wan and the others, Grandpa Tao smiled and nodded, “Are these all your relatives?”
Jiang Mu quickly waved her hand, “No, no, we just ran into them here. They were about to get physical.”
Jiang Mu was considered an honorary member of the Senior Activity Club, and hearing that she was in a conflict, the elderly men and women spontaneously surrounded Boss Wan and his group with a banner, loudly condemning them, “What kind of people are you? You don’t look like good people.”
One of the elderly men, who had worked as a police officer before his retirement and often handled disputes in the local area, looked around the small town of Tonggang, which was only the size of a palm, and recognized everyone after just one round.
He fixed his gaze on a young man in the crowd and asked, “Aren’t you the grandson of Mao Daping, from Building 15, Unit 3 in New Wei Village?”
He then took out his phone, “Hello, Old Mao, Happy New Year, Happy New Year. I’m at Wuyin Temple burning incense, and I ran into your grandson. Unbelievable, he said he was going to beat up a little girl here.”
“… I didn’t say that.”
Chaos erupted in the crowd. A man raised his fist, trying to intimidate the old man who was pointing him out, but before he could even clench his fist, an elderly woman lying on the car’s hood suddenly shouted, “You’re going to kill me! You’re hitting people!”
She grabbed the man by his waistband and yelled, “My son works at the courthouse. What’s your name? Don’t leave! If you’ve got guts, wait for my son to come!”
She immediately started dialing her son’s number, and the scene erupted into chaos. Meanwhile, an elderly man with a white beard, looking immortal-like, walked up to Boss Wan and said, “As the ancient saying goes…”
“What the hell!” He Zhan cursed directly.
Without looking back, Boss Wan turned around and got into the car. The young men following him were being scolded by a group of elderly men, their fingers pointed right at their noses. Their fists clenched audibly, but they couldn’t bring themselves to strike the elderly. They could only leave, their faces covered in embarrassment.
On the other side, San Lai was still shouting from the top of the big concrete pillar, saying he wanted to come down. It was only then that the elderly people noticed him. A woman looked up in surprise and screamed, “Why is there someone standing up there?”
Two kind-hearted elderly men quickly rushed to help him down, each holding one of his legs as they carefully lowered him.
Now that the commotion had settled, the elderly men and women prepared to go back to the entrance of the scenic area to take another photo. They invited Jiang Mu to join them, and although she felt a little embarrassed to refuse, she went along with the group of enthusiastic senior club members. As they made their way back to the entrance, they chatted and laughed, leaving Jin Chao and San Lai exchanging a look of silent bewilderment and following along behind.
The elderly women crouched in the front row, the elderly men stood in the second row, and they pulled Jiang Mu to the center, insisting she squat down with them while holding the banner. While arranging themselves for the photo, a few of the elderly women noticed that all the men in the back row were dressed in identical gray and black outfits, which didn’t look very good. So, they set their eyes on San Lai, insisting that his red scarf added a nice touch, and pulled him into the back row of elderly men, placing him right in the middle.
They even handed a professional DSLR camera to Jin Chao, who had been smoking nearby and said, “Young man, take a few more photos for us. Make sure we look young!”
Jin Chao flicked the cigarette butt away, feeling inexplicably confused. He walked to the front of the crowd. Taking photos was fine, but how could he possibly make people look younger? He really had no idea how to do that.
A few elderly women surrounded him, excitedly teaching him how to find the right angles and adjust the camera, not forgetting to compliment him on his good looks and ask if he had a girlfriend, offering to introduce him to one.
Jin Chao wore a mildly awkward expression, replying dismissively, “Yes, yes, my child is already old enough to run errands for soy sauce.”
The elderly woman looked disappointed. He raised his head and saw Jiang Mu giving him a cold, intense stare. He smirked, then raised the camera and snapped a photo of her.
The elderly women were quite particular about the photos. They had San Lai stand in the back, making sure he flung his scarf for that flowing effect. They even made Jin Chao change angles several times to get the perfect shot. San Lai was surprisingly cooperative, even enjoying the moment. He lengthened the scarf and wrapped it around the necks of two elderly men, adding more color to the shot. Jin Chao, meanwhile, had never experienced such a ridiculous situation in his life and had no idea how he had ended up temporarily recruited by the senior club for their photo session.
……
After Wan Shengbang got into the car, He Zhan, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and asked, “Boss Wan, are you seriously trying to set up Xiao Qing and that kid?”
Wan Shengbang leaned back in his seat, half-closing his eyes, and let out a light grunt before responding, “Xiao Qing’s been causing me trouble for half a year because of Youjiu. If I don’t force her to face the truth in front of so many people today, she’ll never give up.”
He Zhan finally relaxed, his expression softening. “I thought you were actually serious about having Youjiu as your son-in-law.”
Wan Shengbang’s voice was slow and deep as he said, “If he’s truly willing to set aside his grievances with me for Xiao Qing, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”
He Zhan furrowed his brows. “You really value him that much?”
The car weaved through the streets, and Wan Shengbang slowly opened his eyes and gazed out the window, saying, “In a jungle full of dangers, no one knows when your enemies might stab you in the back. At times like these, when a fierce beast appears, the wisest approach is not to hunt it down, but to tame it.”
He Zhan fell silent for a moment, then heard Wan Shengbang continue, “Of course, if taming isn’t possible, the safest approach is still…”
He turned to He Zhang with a cold smile, “Your petty tricks only fuel the beast’s ferocity. It’s time to think of other methods.”
……
As San Lai drove them back, they asked Jiang Mu, “What’s the story behind ‘Jiang Nanshan’?”
This goes back to two months ago, during the tense battle in Xiwa’ao. That day, the old man Jiang Mu had been playing chess with was named Zhang Beihai, the one with a white beard and an air of immortality. The game had been incredibly intense, with Jiang Mu and Grandpa Hai locked in a long, fierce match. When Zhang Beihai heard that Jiang Mu was a girl from the south, he started referring to the pavilions in that area of Xiwa’ao as “Zhang Beihai and Jiang Nanshan.”
Not everyone may have known Jiang Mu, but whenever Jiang Nanshan was mentioned, everyone was familiar with it.
San Lai and Jin Chao had lived in Tonggang for many years, and they’d never heard anything so ridiculous. They both shook their heads in disbelief, laughing. After all, the Xiwa’ao area was a local middle-aged and elderly community, well-organized, disciplined, and quite exclusive.
After San Lai parked the car downstairs at Jin Qiang’s place, Jiang Mu got out. She walked a few steps, then turned back. Jin Chao lowered the car window and looked at her, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Mu hesitated for a while, then San Lai leaned over and asked, “Are you too scared to go upstairs alone?”
Jiang Mu replied, “Of course not.”
She then said, “Bye, San Lai,” before quickly glancing at Jin Chao and running upstairs.
San Lai’s head was still leaning over Jin Chao as he sighed and said, “Don’t you think Little Jiang Mu looks pretty good dressed like that?”
Jin Chao lowered his eyes, looking at the head in front of him, and closed the car window.
San Lai pulled his head back and started driving toward Tongren. On the way, he suddenly asked, “Why did you hold her hand just now?”
Jin Chao kept his eyes on the road, not responding. San Lai gave him a sideways glance and clicked his tongue twice.
Jin Chao rested his elbow on the window and replied calmly, “I was afraid she’d overthink things.”
“Overthink what? How do you know what she’s thinking? So, what if she does? Why did you hold her hand?”
Jin Chao glanced at San Lai, who seemed unusually serious about it, and rubbed his temples. “Did I hold your hand? Why are you so worked up about it?”
San Lai immediately flashed a mischievous grin, “Youjiu, oh Youjiu, your karma is coming.”
Jin Chao retorted, “Don’t worry, even when your karma comes, mine won’t.”
San Lai continued to mumble to himself, “I told you before, don’t be too heartless with girls. Rejecting too many people, when the one you want stands before you, your karma will come knocking. I just have one question, does it hurt?”
Jin Chao flicked a cigarette out of the pack and threw it at him to shut him up. His eyes turned back to the window, staring at the dim, endless road ahead. His brows furrowed slowly in thought.
……
The next day, Jin Qiang and Zhao Meijuan returned with Jin Xin. They had called Jin Chao earlier, inviting him to dinner at their place, but Jin Chao told them he was busy and wouldn’t be able to come back for the next few days.
After hearing about it, Jiang Mu went back to her room and sent him a message, asking what was going on.
It wasn’t until the afternoon that Jin Chao finally found time to call her back. The noise in the background of the call made it clear that he wasn’t alone. San Lai seemed to be there as well, arguing with someone.
Jin Chao told her that the old man from Tie Gongjie’s family had gotten into an accident. His dad had fallen off the roof of the house early in the morning, and now he was in critical condition, still in the emergency room. Jin Chao would probably be staying there for the next couple of days and had already told Jin Qiang. He asked Jiang Mu to go to the car shop with Jin Qiang in the afternoon to pick up Lightning and take him home.
Other voices were shouting at him in the background, and without saying much more, Jin Chao hurriedly hung up. Jiang Mu was left confused about what had happened, but in the afternoon, she went with Jin Qiang to the car shop. Jin Chao had left the keys under a flowerpot by San Lai’s shop.
They brought Lightning home, and when they reached the building entrance, Jin Qiang said he was going to buy cigarettes and asked Jiang Mu to wait for him. Lightning wasn’t feeling well and had some trouble controlling his bladder, leaving a trail of urine along the way. Jiang Mu, flustered, tried to lift the cage to move it to the base of a nearby tree.
At that moment, an elderly lady walking by saw the scene and stopped. She looked at Jiang Mu and scolded, “How are you raising this dog? Even if it relieves itself outside, you can’t let it make a mess all over the building entrance, can you? How are people supposed to walk here? Dog owners these days have no sense of responsibility!”
Jiang Mu apologized repeatedly, saying she would go upstairs to grab cleaning supplies and would make sure to clean it up. The lady continued to complain, muttering, “I didn’t want to say anything during the New Year, but a young girl dressed so nicely shouldn’t be doing such uncivilized things…”
The neighbors, not knowing what exactly had happened, began to eye her suspiciously. Jiang Mu’s face flushed red with embarrassment. Just then, Zhao Meijuan, from the fifth floor, opened the window and shouted down, “Aunty Liu, you should watch your words. Don’t wait until one day you’re the one peeing yourself and getting scolded by your daughter-in-law for your uncivilized behavior!”
Aunty Liu looked up at Zhao Meijuan and pointed at her, “What’s it to you?”
Zhao Meijuan was not one to back down. Her voice carried through the building, practically echoing, “What do you mean ‘what’s it to me?’ My daughter, my dog, everything in my family is my business! Just wait until I come down there!”
With that, Zhao Meijuan marched downstairs in a huff, wearing just her slippers. Jin Qiang, who had just returned from buying cigarettes, also heard the commotion and asked what was going on. Seeing the situation, Auntie Liu didn’t say much more and simply left.
Zhao Meijuan continued to shout at Aunty Liu’s window for a few more moments before grabbing the dog crate and heading upstairs. Jiang Mu followed behind her, wanting to thank her but finding it hard to get the words out.
These days, Jiang Mu has been sleeping in until she wakes up naturally. Several times, Jin Qiang had wanted to call her for breakfast early in the morning, but Zhao Meijuan had scolded him, “Let her sleep more. Once school starts in a couple of days, she won’t have any time to sleep anyway.”
However, on the morning of the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, Jiang Mu was lured awake by the tantalizing aroma of stir-frying. She stumbled out of her room in her pajamas, her hair a complete mess, only to find Jin Xin crouched in front of the cage playing with Lightning while Jin Qiang and Zhao Meijuan were making dumplings. She was curious about who was cooking in the kitchen and why did it smell so good?
With her messy short hair sticking out in all directions, she shuffled to the kitchen door and saw Jin Chao, wearing an apron, skillfully tossing food in the pan. His tall figure stood in front of the stove, casually holding the pan as if it were a toy.
As if sensing the movement at the door, he turned his head and stared at Jiang Mu for a few seconds, his lips curving slightly. “Good morning.”
Jiang Mu, seeing her reflection in the kitchen window, realized her hair was in a wild, bird’s nest-like mess. She let out an exclamation and quickly turned around to run back to her room. Jin Qiang, puzzled, called out, “Why the big reaction?”
Jin Chao turned his attention back to the stir-fry, but there was an unreadable glimmer in his eyes.