180 Reunion
Lin Kanglu corrected him. âThis is called a Tang suit.â
âOnly old men wear this kind of suit.â
âWeâre still young, unlike you.â Pei Zhen admired the decorations around him. âOld Lin is indeed having a comfortable life. Look at this villa.â
Lin Kanglu rolled his eyes at them.
He knew that if he went along with them, they would continue to make fun of him, so he pretended not to hear it. âDid you two come empty-handed?â
âOf course. Are you expecting us to give you a gift?â Chu Kui crossed his legs and took two sips of tea.
âYou actually have the cheek to come empty-handed.â
âWe donât have money.â He looked at Lin Hongyuan. âIf we donât give gifts, will we be allowed to eat?â
âYes.â Lin Hongyuan was amused by him. âIf you want, you can eat here with Uncle Pei for a month.â
âLook.â Pei Zhen gave Lin Kanglu a look and said teasingly, âYour son is even more sensible than you.â
Lin Kanglu narrowed his eyes.
He looked at Old Pei and suddenly laughed. âItâs normal for juniors to not know manners. I wonât take it to heart.â
âWho is junior?â
âPei Zhi calls me grandpa, so you are supposed to call me uncle.â
âOld Lin, do you have any shame?!â
Chu Kuiâs laughter mixed with the bickering made the living room much livelier.
They were about to fight when they were stopped by Lin Hongyuan. After a while, they sat at the mahjong table as if nothing had happened.
In the evening, Pei Zhi and Lin Jiao arrived at the villa.
They put down the birthday gift they had prepared for Lin Kanglu and sat at the square table, looking at the mahjong tiles.
âPei Zhi, give me some cash.â Pei Zhen did not have much cash on him.
âIs five hundred enough?â
âThatâs enough.â
Pei Zhi took out some cash from his wallet and placed it on Pei Zhenâs right.
He picked up the fruit plate and fed Lin Jiao a cherry. âHow long have you been sitting at the mahjong table?â
âNot long.â Lin Kanglu looked up at him. âLess than three hours.â
âWho won?â
âYour Uncle Chu and I.â
âWho can say for sure until the end?â Pei Zhen did not agree with him. âRight, Hongyuan?â
Lin Hongyuan, who had always been a noob at mahjong, nodded in agreement and asked Fang Liu to help him look at the tiles.
âJiaojiao.â He took out a tile and placed it on the table. âAsk Yanshen where he is.â
âHeâs almost there.â Lin Jiao spat out the fruit core and opened WeChat to look at the message she received three minutes ago.
Not long after she finished speaking, Zhou Yanshen walked in unhurriedly with two gift boxes.
He put his hand on Lin Kangluâs shoulder. âOld man, you are quite lucky today. You won so much.â
âOf course.â Lin Kanglu smiled from ear to ear and glanced at the losers on both sides proudly.
He stood up midway. âHongyuan and Old Pei are about to lose everything. Let them win a few rounds.â
âAlright.â Zhou Yanshen sat down with a cigarette in his mouth.
Lin Hongyuan, who was sitting on the right, saw his bloodshot eyes clearly. âHave you been fooling around outside again for the past two days?â
In order to meet Lin Kanglu, Lin Hongyuan had âbribedâ Zhou Yanshen many times and also got closer to him over the years.
He treated Zhou Yanshen as his son and gave him more love and care than Zhou Yanshenâs biological parents.
âIâm not fooling around.â Zhou Yanshen was used to being nagged by him, so he was not impatient. âIâve been busy chasing someone recently.â
âSomeone in the entertainment industry again? How many times have I told you that those women are getting close to you for fame and fortuneâ¦â
âSheâs a doctor.â
After being told that the girl Zhou Yanshen was chasing was actually Lin Jiaoâs friend, Lin Hongyuan reminded him, âIf you want to be with her, take it seriously.â
Zhou Yanshen replied seriously, âI know.â
After they finished playing, Pei Yilan and the Pei couple arrived at the villa, followed by Shen Yi and Chu Yuzhou.
Chu Yuzhouâs parents were still on a business trip. He slowly handed the gifts to Pei Zhi.
âIâm so tired.â He took a deep breath and looked at Pei Yilan. âWhereâs Jiang Ye?â
âHeâs on set and canât leave.â
âWhat a pity. I wanted to drink with him tonight.â
âBrother Yanshen can drink with you.â Pei Yilan held Bai Yingâs arm and sat down with an ambiguous smile.
They all walked into the dining room to celebrate Lin Kangluâs birthday.
âGrandpa, I wish you all the best.â Lin Jiao raised her glass and toasted him.
Lin Kanglu was happy as long as Lin Jiao was around.
He took out a stack of red envelopes from his pocket and stuffed one into her hand. âI hope you and Pei Zhi can have a baby soon too.â
...
âItâs still early.â Lin Jiao looked at Pei Zhi and her face suddenly turned red.
The next second, Pei Zhi held her hand tightly. âDonât worry. Iâll bring you a great-grandson in two years.â
Lin Kanglu laughed heartily and said, âThen Iâll wait.â He then gave Pei Zhi another red envelope and waited for the others to toast him.
After saying âI wish you a long and happy lifeâ, Zhou Yanshen received a red envelope too.
However, before he turned around, he whispered into Lin Kangluâs ear, âYouâll have a granddaughter-in-law soon.â
Lin Kanglu was stunned. âReally?â
âOf course.â He briefly explained his relationship with Qian Yue to reassure him. âIâll bring her back after the new year.â
âDonât lie to me.â
âDefinitely not.â
Lin Hongyuan, who had drunk a lot of white wine, stood up with a cup and said, âDad, Iâve let you down in the past. Iâm really happy that youâre willing to come back and let me fulfill my duty as a son.â
Some time ago, he was wondering if it would be awkward since they had not lived together for many years.
...
However, the moment Lin Kanglu returned, he realized that the bond between father and son had never changed.
The only thing that changed was that he wanted to follow him around every day.
âLet the past stay in the past.â Seeing that Lin Hongyuanâs eyes were red, Lin Kanglu said awkwardly, âSit down. Donât embarrass me.â
Lin Hongyuan suddenly smiled and held back his tears.
The huge rock that had pressed down on him for many years finally disappeared amidst the laughter and chatter.
After Lin Kanglu cut the cake, the group of people either played mahjong or chatted in the living room.
Zhou Yanshen and Shen Yi each carried a box of beer and called the young ones to the lounge on the top floor.
He sat on the carpet by the window and started talking about him and Qian Yue. âWe havenât seen each other in six days.â