Chapter 115: Cut Off Retreat
Upon exiting the room, he saw a man standing in the courtyard wearing a blue changpao, with a slim and tall stature. His oversized sleeves billowed as the wind entered the courtyard, emphasizing his crane-like figure and an indescribable air about him.
He stood out like a flowerpot placed in a vegetable patch or a goose that wandered into a chicken coop – glaringly out of place.
The man, with his back to the door, joined his hands behind him and bent over with great interest to examine the jasmine flowers by the entrance; all the while, he chatted with Wang Laozhu, seemingly indifferent: "It’s been quite some days since I last returned. The home appears tidier than before, and these jasmine flowers are quite exceptional – they have a certain vitality! Although as a son I’m unable to serve my parents at home, seeing that they still have such delightful hobbies sets my mind at ease."
That voice, it couldn’t be anyone else but Wang Yongan who only returned once a year.
Wang Laozhu didn’t understand all this talk of ’vitality’ or ’delightful hobbies’?
He always held scholars in high esteem, even if the scholar was his own son; he was slightly intimidated around him. His second son had been a fierce reader since childhood, always muttering literary words that even made the chanting of his wife’s Amitabha seem less daunting!
Moreover, with his ability to pass the Scholar exams, his second son had indeed brought glory to the Wang Family’s name, and as such, Wang Laozhu treated this son with even more careful courtesy.
Although he didn’t quite grasp the acidic words his son was uttering now, it didn’t prevent him from nodding routinely, adding a couple of agreeable responses: "These lao shizi plants, not only can’t be eaten but also take up space. Only your younger sister and other girls insist on planting them, claiming they ward off mosquitoes or something. I don’t see the use! If you like them, feel free to take some back with you, it would be no waste."
Wang Yongan, who had been gently touching the petals, stiffened his hand for a moment and coughed before withdrawing it subtly and rising with exaggerated self-restraint, "The charm of these flowers lies in their wild nature; they should stay in these wilds. I just mentioned it casually – Father, don’t take it seriously."