Early in the morning, the sun hadn't yet risen from the mountain peaks when a deafening broadcast rang with an ever increasingly passionate and hot-blooded momentum as it reverberated throughout the old village.
"When the fiery smoke rises I look at the vast land towards the north, the roaring of the dragons and neighing of the horses are echoed by the chilling sword~"*
Xiao Xi groaned and pulled the duvet over her head while her right hand stretched out from beneath the blanket and rummaged through the drawers of her bedside table in search for her ear plugs.
In the main bedroom, Master Dongfang who was abruptly roused from his sleep ran towards the window and looked outside only to hold his chest right after, almost fainting from anger while his wife came behind him and patted his back in order to soothe him.
"That little bastard! Is he trying to give me a heart attack so early in the morning? I'm going to kill him!"
"There, there. It's rare for Xiao Yu to take time off his work to see us. Just let him be."
"You...you just spoil him! It's no wonder he grew up so maverick and lawless."
Madam Dongfang cast him a subtle glance. "Your son's temperament, don't you know best from whom it was inherited from?"
Master Dongfang "..." Should he blame his own mother then?
Master Dongfang, Dongfang Ze instantly wilted. His own child inherited his mother's rampant character. He should thank God his granddaughter, Xi'er, wasn't biological then.
Otherwise, facing such descendants, he'd vomit blood everyday.
Eight years ago, he thought sending his son into the army would help trim down his sharp edges and corners. Who knew that it was actually such a big mistake?
Not only did the rigorous training not calm him down, it even seemed to have opened a new world for him and Dongfang Yu was like a wild horse released into the verdant grasslands. So carefree and at ease as he ran with wind whistling past his ears.
This child can't be taught.
Master Dongfang waved his flag in complete surrender.
The only relief was that the army had few holidays and he wouldn't have to face the stinkin' brat's face for most of the year.
Thinking so, Master Dongfang settled down his restless heart. Rather than spend time dealing with things that irritated him, it's better to retire early and go to the countryside to live in peace with his beloved wife and precious granddaughter.
As for the prodigal son. Heheh! Let him toss.
When he's tired, he'll naturally go home to inherit the family business.
Just like that, a year passed and then another.
Now eight years had gone by and his son climbed the ranks step by step and became one of the pillars of the country's military.
Master Dongfang shook his head in complete resignation.
It's hopeless. It's better to turn to his granddaughter instead.
.....
Here, Master Dongfang was still brooding over his unfortunate past while outside, the villagers had already gathered around the off-road vehicle parked outside the brick-tile house, enthusiastically surrounding a bewitching man in casual clothing.
"Yo! Xiao Yu finally came back from the army."
"It's good to be back. It's good to be back. Your parents are getting old. You should take time off work more often to accompany them."
"Well, I'm back." Dongfang Yu greeted his parents neighbors with a charming smile. "Aunt Chen has become even more beautiful than when I last saw you a year ago."
Aunt Chen blushed. "Oh, you kid really know how to flatter your elders."
Then, as if she thought of something, Aunt Chen couldn't help but voice out her worry. "Xiao Yu, ah. In the past, you used to come by every few months and stay for at least a week. Now, you can only come to visit once a year these past three years. Tell aunt, is your superior making things hard for you?"
Dongfang Yu's lips twitched. In the military, who dares to make things hard for him? It is estimated that it can only be himself bullying others and not the other way around.
However, he didn't plan to tell the villagers these things, much less let them know about his identity.
These people only know that he was a soldier.
As for his specific rank in the military... Hey! It's better for him to keep his mouth shut so as not to frighten others.
"Aunties and uncles, if you'll excuse me. I'll go inside first so as not to keep my family waiting."
"Go.Go. Your parents and Xiao Xi must miss you a lot."
Dongfang Yu "..." I'm afraid it's quite the opposite, especially when he accidentally pressed on the button of the loud speaker in his car earlier.
Contrary to expecting a heartwarming reunion, the possibility of his father and daughter's hands itching to strangle him was much higher.
.....
The dining room was silent, with only the occasional sound of silver cutlery striking the porcelain plates.
Wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin, Xiao Xi—no, Dongfang Xi rose from her seat and brought her used cutlery to the kitchen sink. "Grandma, Grandpa. I'm off to school."
"Hey,hey! Wait for me. I'll send you." Dongfang Yu devoured the last bit of morsel from his plate and ran after her.
.....
Half an hour later, two people, one of which was supposed to be in school, sat by the window of a relatively popular cafe in the city.
"Order whatever you want. It's all on me."
Dongfang Xi pursed her lips."School."
Dongfang Yu rolled his eyes.
Not that he looks down on that dilapidated school in town where his baby girl goes to, but seriously, the environment really is too shabby and poorly maintained, along with it's limited-to-almost-none educational resources.
However, it's understandable since it's in the countryside after all. It naturally couldn't compare to those aristocratic schools in the capital.
"What are you going to do there? Stare at the dusty ceiling in a dazed while feeding the mosquitoes or sleep on your desk next to the trashcan?"
"No." Dongfang Xi lazily leaned against her chair and said bluntly . "The new teacher, Mr. Xiao looks good."
Dongfang Yu "..." Don't want to spend quality time with your good old father but want to see some random dog outside? Very good.
"Does he look better than me?" General Dongfang's peach blossom eyes narrowed dangerously.
Dongfang Xi cast a gentle and admiring gaze at her "father's" bewitching countenance which made even the utterly narcissistic Dongfang Yu a little uneasy and shy.
However, her next words made him choke on his breath. "Mosquito blood streak smeared across my wall."*
"Xiaoxi'er ah! Why didn't I know you were such a scumbag?!"
__________
1.) "When the fiery smoke rises I look at the vast land towards the north, the roaring of the dragons and neighing of the horses are echoed by the chilling sword~"
"Loyalty to the Country" (simplified Chinese: 精忠报国; traditional Chinese: 精忠報國; pinyin: Jīngzhōng bàoguó) is a Chinese patriotic song paying tribute to the Han general Yue Fei, a popular Chinese folk hero. The name of the song refers to a phrase tattooed on the back of Yue Fei, and a mantra with which he is commonly identified. The lyrics of the song allude to the Jin–Song Wars, in which Yue Fei played a pivotal role.
2.) Mosquito blood streak smeared across my wall* can be understood as a type of passionate beauty that one had already grown tired of seeing and thus now find somewhat annoying.
Marry a red rose and eventually she'll be a mosquito-blood streak smeared on the wall, while the white one is 'moonlight in front of my bed'. Marry a white rose and before long she'll be a grain of sticky rice that's gotten stuck to your clothes; the red one, by then, is a scarlet beauty mark just over your heart.
- Red Rose, White Rose by Eileen Chang